What makes a good opening/closing ceremony? Lots of singing, dancing and fireworks are a start. The more money a country spends on the opening ceremony the better the ceremony is. That's not to say that one can't be creative with less money spent. Rio organizers will have spent one tenth of what London organizers spent and that still pales in comparison to what Beijing organizers spent on the 2008 opening ceremony. Well funded opening ceremonies have a high tech theme with moving LED images in the air and on the ground and well rehearsed acts. Who can forget the 2008 drummers in sync at the Beijing games. It was magical. To me, the opening ceremony of an Olympics is the best show on earth. It is put on by one country and watched by the world. Watching the 1996 opening ceremony dress rehearsal in person gave me goosebumps!
There is the artistic part, followed by the ceremony part which includes the Parade of Nations, speeches by the host country representative and IOC president who declares the games open followed by the Olympic flag being carried into the stadium and then raised to the Olympic hymn followed by the Olympic oath. Doves are released or now currently shown in LED artistry as a sign of peace.
Then there is the lighting of the Olympic torch. Atlanta 1996 had a big torch transport with stairs but since then torches have gotten sleeker, more modern. Salt Lake 2002 had a very nice torch. Some torches in the opening ceremony malfunctioned as did in the 2010 Vancouver games lit by Wayne Gretzky but outside of the stadium was another torch which had all its arms. That torch stayed lit the entire length of the games. At the 2012 London games, 200 copper leaves made up the torch.
The way a torch is lit and who lights the torch can make the opening ceremony magical as well. In 1992, at the Barcelona games, the torch was lit by a flaming arrow, in 1996 the iconic image of Muhammad Ali lighting the torch transforms everyone's imagination. In 2000 at the Sydney games, Australian track athlete Cathy Freeman lit the torch with water flowing behind her. In 2008 at the Beijing games, China gymnast Li Ning circled around the entire top of the Birds Nest to light the torch. In 2012 seven young British aspiring Olympians lit the torch. In 2014, at the Sochi games, Russian Figure Skater Irina Rodnina and Russian Hockey player Vladislav Tretiak lit the torch. Who will light the torch at the Rio games?, stay tuned!
Last 4 Olympic opening/Closing ceremonies(winter and summer)ranked:
1. Beijing 2008 - The best opening ceremony I've ever seen. 100 million US dollar budget. 2008 Drummers in sync.. Perfection!
2. Sochi 2014 - Lots of moving LED images. Very high tech. Slight flaw when 5th Olympic ring did not open. Fixed in closing ceremony.
3. London 2012 - 41 million US dollar budget made this ceremony worth watching. Closing ceremony had great musical acts.
4. Vancouver 2010 - Good ceremony. Only small flaw was one of the arms of the torch on the inside of the stadium didn't open.
All of these opening/closing ceremonies were incredible to watch!
Looking forward to Rio Opening Ceremony in three days!
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